Divine Right

• Their authority to rule came directly from God, and they only had to answer to God – God’s

representatives on earth – therefore, all people must obey

Divine Right

"I did not make myself king. God did. King by divine right! Now you come to me with this document seeking to limit the authority given to me by God!?“

—King John of England, Robin Hood (2010)

This is gonna get complicated

THE AGE OF ABSOLUTISM

WAIT! LET’S RECAP!

• With a partner, define and explain the significance of:

– Protestant Reformation

– 95 Theses

– Absolutism

– Anglican Church (Church of England)

– Divine Right

– Habsburg family (Ferdinand and Isabella)

– 30 Years’ War

– Treaty of Westphalia

Recap:

• Ferdinand and Isabella: Habsburg family– They’re Catholic!

– Lots of intermarrying to secure power across European countries

• Catholics v. Protestants = lots of wars in Europe

Protestant Reformation Catholic Reformation fighting! 30 Years’ War breakup of the Holy Roman Empire kings and kingdoms start to

arise

Charles V(Holy Roman Emperor, ruled 1516-1558)

• Grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella

–Rules Spain, New World colonies, and the Habsburg Empire (Catholic parts of the old Holy Roman Empire, kind of)

Charles V(Holy Roman Emperor, ruled 1516-1558)

• Devout Catholic

– Fought against Protestants in Germany

– Fought against the Ottomans (Muslims) in Vienna

• Tired of fighting

– Became a monk

– Gave his Habsburg (Austrian) lands to Ferdinand, his brother

– Gave Spain to his son, Philip II

Spain’s Colonial Empire

Philip II (Spain, ruled 1556-1598)

• Took between 20-25% of all gold and silver coming from the New World for himself

– Remember - $10 trillion in modern day dollars

• Like his dad:

– Fought against the Ottomans in the Mediterranean

– Fought against Protestants

Golden Age of Spanish Art

• El Greco

• Miguel de Cervantes

– Writes Don Quixote

Philip II (Spain, ruled 1556-1598)

• Biggest Protestant rival: Queen Elizabeth I of England

• Fought each other

– Protestantism v. Catholicism

– Spanish Armada (navy)

• Lost to Queen Elizabeth’s British Royal Navy showed

the world the power of Britain’s navy

The Decline of Spain

• Defeat of the Spanish Armada

• Spent too much money on wars inflation

• The Reconquista and Inquisition kicked out many Muslims and Jews, which led to a lot of skilled artisans and merchants leaving – over time, that weakens Spain

England’s Colonial Empire

France’s Colonial Empire

Louis XIV (14th)(France, 1638-1718)

• Great-grandson of Philip II

• “Sun King”

– Just as the sun stands at the center of the solar system, so does Louis

• “L’etat c’est moi” – “I am the state”

Louis XIV (France, 1638-1718)

• Divine right

• Weakened power of nobles by excluding them from his councils

– Appointed wealthy, middle-class men to government jobs

• Why?

Louis XIV (France, 1638-1718)

• Highest privilege for a noble was helping him dress in the morning

– “High-ranking nobles competed for the honor of holding the royal washbin or handing the king his diamond-buckled shoes. At night, the ceremony was repeated in reverse. Wives of nobles vied to service women of the royal family.”

• Nobles did not pay taxes –keeps them happy

Louis XIV (France, 1638-1718)

• Built Palace of Versailles (equivalent of $2 Billion today)

• Housed 10,000

– Built by *lots* of taxes – and whom is he taking?

http://www.youvisit.com/tour/versailles

Louis XIV (France, 1638-1718)

The Hall of MirrorsThe Chapel at Versailles

The Queen’s Bedroom The King’s Bedroom

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5e/Kingsbedroom.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Versailles_Chapel_-_July_2006_edit.jpghttp://www.chateauversailles.fr/fr/Panoramiques/Pano_GG_b1500.htmhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Versailles_Queen's_Chamber.jpg

Louis XIV (France, 1638-1718)

• Protestant v. Catholic Wars

– Huguenots (French Protestants) kicked out; loss was equivalent to the Muslims and Jewish loss in Spain

Louis XIV (France, 1638-1718)

• Ruled 72 years

• French culture replaces those of Renaissance Italy as the standards for European tastes

Maria Theresa (Holy Roman Empire/Austria, ruled 1740-1780)

• Great great greatgranddaughter of Philip II

• Ruled for 40 years

• Reorganized Austrian economy and military, turning Austria into a European power

• Won the War of Austrian Succession – Austria is fully independent

from the Holy Roman Empire

• Lost the Seven Years War

• 16 children, including Marie Antoinette

The War of Austrian Succession

Frederick the Great(Prussia, ruled 1740-1786)

• United Prussian territories

• Great military leader

• Forming one of the fiercest militaries ever seen…– “Prussia is not a a

state which possesses an army, rather an army that possesses a state.”

Frederick the Great(Prussia, ruled 1740-1786)

• EnlightenedAbsolutism –modernized bureaucracy, reformed judicial system, supported arts and philosophers

The Seven Years War, akaFrench and Indian War:

The First World Wide Conflict

• Alarmed by the growing power and ambition of Frederick the Great, France, Spain, Austria, Saxony, Russia, and Sweden formed a coalition with the intention of destroying - or at least crippling - Prussia.

• Frederick struck first by invading Saxony, knocking them out of the war. Britain, already involved in colonial conflict with France in North America and India, allied with Prussia.

• Very long story; short summary: This war is fought in Europe and European colonies in the Americas. Prussia and Britain win.

• Treaty of Paris ends the war helping to create a huge British empire

Big takeaway: With all these new colonies across the world, whatever war happens in Europe ALSO happens in their colonies.

QUICK DISCUSSION

• What similarities exist between Louis XIV, Philip II, and Charles V?

• What event(s) ushered in Britain’s dominance in the 1600s/1700s?

Ivan the Terrible(Russia, ruled 1547-1584)

• Became king at the age of 3

• First czar (comes from Caesar… why?)

• Married into the Romanov family

Ivan the Terrible(Russia, ruled 1547-1584)

• Before his wife died: code of laws, doubled size of Russia, good dude

• After his wife died: secret police (dressed in all black robes and rode black horses), killed most of the boyars (nobles), killed his own son, bad dude

Peter the Great(1682–1696, solo from 1696–1725)

• From the Romanov family

• 6’8 feet tall

• Grew up going to the “German Quarter” and learned of new, western technology

• Sought to

“westernize” Russia

Peter the Great: modernization

Pros

• Built St. Petersburg

– His “window on the west”

• “He looked to the West, saw the importance of controlling the oceans and seas, studied European methods of shipbuilding and engineering, applied all that his brilliant mind could put together, and pulled Russia by the bootstraps into its new role as an important player in global history.”(Wood, 325)

Cons

• St. Petersburg is built on a swamp – had to drain a river to build it; hundreds died

St Petersburg

St. Petersburg

Peter the Great: military

Pros

• Trained troops in the use of cannons and firearms

• Built roads and bridges to improve transportation

• Built a navy from scratch after consulting with European experts

• Defeated Sweden in the Great Northern War –declared Russia an empire

Cons

• Introduced serfdom

– Also forced serfs to serve in the army or work on public projects

• Tortured and killed those who resisted his rule

– Left bodies rotting in the streets

Peter the Great: culture

Pros

• Decreed that young people should determine for themselves who to marry (instead of their parents)

• Started a newspaper and Academy of Sciences

Cons

• Ordered boyars to dress like Europeans and shave their beards

• Nobles had to send children abroad for school

Impact of Peter the Great

• Russia, which really should have been a backwater outpost forgotten by history, is on its way to becoming a modern, Western power.

• Eternal conflict for Russians: Slavic tradition vs. Westernization – Are they “East” or “West”?